As one who has visited thousands of foreclosed homes, I can say with some authority that many of them suffer from a bad case of DIY Syndrome.
The proliferation of home improvement cable channels and the resulting bombardment of “how-to” shows have created a culture of substandard repairs and functionally obsolete upgrades.
Which led me to this somewhat obvious but rarely mentioned conclusion:
Just because you CAN do it yourself doesn’t mean that you should.
Many jobs are best left to professionals that understand building codes and will do the work properly. It is also absolutely essential that all of the proper permits are secured before work commences.
When a buyer sees a poorly completed “improvement,” the only words that come to mind are “more work.” There is only negative value in any job that is has not been performed in a “workmanlike” manner.
As far as those TV shows that depict homeowners making tens of thousands of dollars with a few thousand invested and a weekend of work … it’s not going to happen in these parts!
I have a sneaking suspicion that in many of these homes, if the work had been done right in the first place, they may have sold prior to foreclosure.
The homeowners would have been better off, the local real estate market would have been better off, and the foreclosure attorneys would have lost a lot of work!
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